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July 24, 2006
Right on schedule
This is the time of year when the draft schedule for the upcoming NBA season starts making the rounds, which means there are rumblings about what is likely ahead for the Lakers. Everything is subject to change, please remember, until the NBA releases the official schedule, which took place on Aug. 8 last year and Aug. 2 the year before that.
The Lakers are supposed to open the season Tuesday, Oct. 31 against Phoenix at Staples Center, a rematch of their first-round playoff series. I'm not a gambler, but I saw a site recently that had the Suns, Mavericks and Heat all 9-2 favorites to win the 2007 title. The Lakers were at 40-1. It should be an interesting opener, especially with Amare Stoudemire back for the Suns.
They will play at Miami in the NBA's marquee Christmas Day game, the third year in a row the league has brought together Kobe and Shaq on the holiday. They push this rivalry so much, the NBA might as well have the Lakers open the season in Miami and watch the Heat get its rings.
There is a marathon eight-game road trip set for early February. You have to go back to December 1989 to find a trip that long in Lakers history. It's one-fifth of their entire road schedule in one trip. The Lakers also are playing a New Year's Eve game, their first on that date home or away since 1968.
Their schedule looks like it will be front-loaded with home games this season. The Lakers could play as many as 15 of their first 20 games at home. I don't know whether that includes any road games against the Clippers at Staples.
If you win two-thirds of your home games and split your road games, you should finish about 48-34 for the season. That would have been good enough for fifth in the Western Conference last season. But if the Lakers schedule has that many home games in November and December, the team will have to come together quickly.
Just to stay on pace for 48 wins, the Lakers would want to open 13-7. It's the exact opposite from last season, when the Lakers were a .500 team until March 19 but took advantage of a schedule that had them playing 10 of their last 13 games at home. They made a little run, finished 45-37, and nearly pulled off a playoff upset.
Maybe the Lakers will be build some confidence at home early that will benefit them for the rest of the season. If they do play 15 of their first 20 at home, they can't afford a slow start to the season. We'll know everything for sure once the NBA schedule becomes official.
Posted by Ross Siler at July 24, 2006 04:35 PM
Comments
thanks! That is really interesting. Hopefully they will know they need to come out charging and force themselves to start in a fast gear. I mean, you don't want them to peak then, but a bit of pressure may be good.
Posted by: elyse at July 25, 2006 12:04 AM